The latest reporting from Washington, the campaign trail and around the world @InsidePolitics Sunday. This Sunday and every Sunday. 8aEt and 11aET on @CNN

Republicans have a super majority in the Indiana state Senate — and despite a relentless pressure campaign from Trump and threats of primary challenges — Trump fails to secure votes to gerrymander IN and win two more GOP districts. https://t.co/JPM8xiQzAW

Asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune if he’s concerned about blowback if ACA subsidies not extended. “We have people who are willing to address that issue, but you can't fix this program…It can't happen if you just go out and say, we're going to do a blanket extension.”

News at top of hour on @InsidePolitics — Votes on Senate health plans — What Thune said to me about the impact this morning — Latest on Trump push to gerrymander Indiana — Tense moments at House hearing w Noem In chair

NEW: Jeffrey Epstein called her “my great defender.” Emails and text messages show Goldman Sachs’ top attorney Kathy Ruemmler — previously Obama’s WH counsel — disparaged reporting on Epstein’s abuse as “rehashed crap,” in 2018 and helped craft a 2019 publication relations

Senate Republicans haven't moved an inch on this or the filibuster. This has been Trump shouting into the void.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune just told me he thinks “a couple” Rs will vote for the Dem bill to extend the ACA subsidies for three years. It is still expected to fall short of 60 votes. The GOP health care bill — drafted by Crapo and Cassidy — will also fall short of 60

Asked if Secretary Pete Hegseth should testify publicly to Congress, McCaul said “yes.” “We are a separate but equal branch of government under Article I of the Constitution.”

GOP Rep. Michael McCaul told me the Pentagon should release the double-tap strike video. If not: “It looks like you're trying to hide something. And so, from my 22 years in elected office, it's always better to be transparent and honest with the American people.”

Group also said they secured another promise to bring up a bill to prevent creation of Central Bank Digital Currency. “The House will go to war with the Senate” on the issue, Luna told me

Burchett: “We talked to the Secretary of State. He’s going to ensure that NGOs that are funneling money to the Taliban are going to officially stop.”

Just spoke to conservative holdouts who ultimately voted to advance NDAA Burchett/Luna/Boebert -They said they spoke to Rubio who assured them money going to certain NGOs won’t go to Taliban - won assurances to move version of Stock Act - concession from Johnson on crypto bill

And after more than an hour of drama, Johnson has successfully landed the votes to advance NDAA (as @bresreports reported first, R leaders needed to go pass a rule because Dems were otherwise demanding collective bargaining back into the bill to agree to suspension)

Asked Speaker Johnson if he was OK with Trump’s “shithole countries” comment “I’m baited every day with asking comment about what the president or other members say… That's not the way I speak but the president is expressing his frustration,” criticizing illegal immigration

Amid an international uproar in 2018, Trump issued vague semi-denials that he referred to “shithole countries” in a meeting with senators. Last night, he casually told the story of how he referred to “shithole countries” in a meeting with senators:

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis says having two votes on health care bills that will fail (which will happen in Senate Thurs) is “useless.” “We've got to solve it,” Tillis says of Rs. “Or going into next year, we will own a problem that they created.” More on GOP plans on @InsidePolitics

In the second half of the video below, President Trump confirms describing certain African nations as “shithole countries” during a 2018 meeting with senators. During his first term, as the screenshots below show, he vehemently denied using the term.

Asked if Pentagon needs a new leader, Tillis said: “I just want to see the facts so I can make an informed decision."

GOP support for releasing video of boat strikes. Tillis: “We've got to get the Epstein files released. We got to get any videos that do not in any way compromise mission integrity down there. Just get the stuff out there.”

Australia just banned social media for those under 16. @rahmemanuel says the U.S. should follow suit ⬇️

.@RoKhanna slams Secy. Hegseth's "cowardly behavior" ⬇️ "He needs to brief not just the Gang of Eight. He needs to come before the Armed Services Committee," he says. "Take responsibility and have a clear explanation to the American people."